Santa Rosa Criminal Defense Blog

Former Santa Rosa High School Basketball Coach Faces Jail Sentence for Sex With Teen Player

On Wednesday, Andrew John Medeiros was sentenced to six months in Sonoma County Jail along with 4 years probation after pleading no contest in June to committing a sex act (oral copulation) with a 16-year-old student at Cardinal Newman High School, where he was a basketball coach.

The 25-year-old former basketball coach faced three years in prison at the time he pleaded no contest. As part of Medeiros’ plea deal, a charge involving digital penetration was dismissed. News reports stated that Medeiros was accused of “grooming” the girl by Deputy District Attorney Rosanne Darling, who alleged he groomed the victim by through text messaging over the course of a year before the actual sex act took place in March and April. According to Darling, the text messages were explicit in describing the sex acts Medeiros wanted to perform with the victim, who was shocked by the messages.

The victim’s family sent a letter to Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite in which was stated she did not know how to alleviate the situation and had trusted the coach. Darling requested that Medeiros be sentenced to one year in county jail.

Medeiros’ defense attorney Richard Scott said that his client was now “devastated” because he believed that the relationship with the victim would be lifelong, and that he now blames only himself after realizing the seriousness of the offense. After being examined by a psychiatrist, Medeiros was not ordered by judge to register as a sex offender because the psychiatrist deemed it a low to moderate risk that Medeiros would reoffend. If he does violate probation requirements, he will be required to register.

Judge Thistlethwaite ordered Medeiros to attend an outpatient treatment program designed for sex offenders, and said that “Sitting in custody is not appropriate.” Medeiros was arrested in Santa Rosa at Piner High School on April 11th.

Santa Rosa criminal defense attorneys understand the severe consequences those convicted of crimes that are sexual in nature face. Perhaps worst of all is being required to register as a sex offender, which negatively impacts all areas of life.

Individuals are frequently wrongly accused of sexual assault, rape and other offenses. If you have been arrested for a sex crime, it is imperative that you seek sound legal counsel at once. Contact a qualified Santa Rosa sexual offense lawyer today so that your attorney can begin work on your case.